For Texas public entities
Cities, counties, school districts and community colleges publish a large share of their public information as PDFs. Under the ADA Title II web rule, those documents are web content.
The ADA Title II web rule
In 2024 the U.S. Department of Justice published a rule under Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act. It requires web content and mobile apps from state and local governments, including documents such as PDFs posted on their websites, to meet WCAG 2.1 Level AA. The compliance dates depend on the population the entity serves.
| Entity | Compliance date |
|---|---|
| State and local government entities with a total population of 50,000 or more | April 26, 2027 |
| Entities with a total population under 50,000, and special district governments | April 26, 2028 |
Source: 28 CFR part 35, subpart H (Electronic Code of Federal Regulations). Dates as currently published.
Exceptions
The rule lists some exceptions, including for archived web content and for certain documents posted before the compliance date. Each exception has conditions. The Department of Justice explains them in its fact sheet on the web rule.
This page is general information, not legal advice. We do not decide which of your documents fall under the rule or an exception. For that, talk to your attorney or your entity's ADA coordinator.
Documents we see most often
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Cities and counties
Council and commissioners court agendas and packets, minutes, budgets and audits, fee schedules, permit and license applications, public notices, ordinances.
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School districts
Enrollment and registration packets, student handbooks, codes of conduct, school calendars, board agendas and policies, menus, parent notices.
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Community colleges
Catalogs, schedules, syllabi and course handouts, financial aid and admissions forms, board documents, policies and procedures.
Where to start
- Fix the documents people use most: forms, fee schedules, current agendas, enrollment packets.
- Set up a way to handle new documents as they are published, so the backlog does not grow.
- Work through older documents that are still in use.
New public-sector clients can send their first 5 documents at no cost. We return them remediated and tested, with a short report.